Name: Pork Adobo Recipe (Adobong Baboy)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 650 g pork belly, cut into thick chunks (around 2x2u0022); 5 garlic cloves, smashed; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp whole black peppercorns; 2-3 tbsp brown sugar; 1/3 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup cane vinegar; Water, just enough to cover the pork

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I’m finally sharing my family’s Pork Adobo recipe which we’ve been enjoying for years! The sauce is deeply savory, tangy, and with a caramelized sweetness that perfectly coats the tender chunks of pork belly.

While there are hundreds of different ways to make adobo, this particular recipe was based off of my mom’s version that I grew to love.

Recipe Rundown

Ingredients

You’ll need pork belly, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and just enough water to cover!

instructions

Simply sear your pork until browned, add in the spices and sugar to toast and caramelize, then pour in the rest of the sauces and let simmer until tender.

Quick Tips

Be sure to reduce your adobo sauce to further thicken and intensify its flavor. Adobo is also best served the next day to allow its taste to develop even further.

Storage

Adobo stays good for up to 4 days in the fridge, which is perfect for meal prepping!

Table of Contents

Adobo is an umbrella term in Filipino cuisine that encompasses anything marinated and/or stewed in a mixture of vinegar, salt or soy sauce, and other spices/aromatics.

The most common types of adobo is made with either pork or chicken, while more underrated dishes include adobong sitaw (green bean adobo), adobong kanin (adobo rice), or adobo sa gata (coconut milk adobo)

Instructions

Begin by searing your pork on all sides until golden in color. Scoop out any rendered fat if desired.

Add in the garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Stir and let the aromatics/spices toast for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.

Add in the brown sugar. Stir and let the sugar caramelize around the pork for another 1 minute.

Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, and just enough water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil, then let the adobo simmer on medium low with a lid for at least 45 minutes, up to 1 hour.

After simmering, turn your heat to high and let the sauce boil until reduced into a thick glaze (you may reduce the sauce less if you prefer your adobo more soupy).

Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Pork adobo (adobong baboy) with rice, eggs, and bokchoy

Ingredients and Substitutions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Pork belly: Pork belly is one of the golden cuts of pork for adobo due to its fat content. Feel free to use other cuts if you prefer, however, such as shoulder or hock.

Garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns: These are the standard aromatics we’ll need to make a classic pork adobo.

Crush the peppercorns, and you’ll get a sharper, more intense pepper flavor all throughout. Keep them whole, and the aroma and essence of the peppercorn will be milder (this is also the traditional method).

Brown sugar: Brown sugar gives the adobo a deep, caramel flavor that compliments the savoriness of the sauce.

Substitutions: You may use white sugar as a quick substitute. The adobo will just taste lighter, due to the lack of molasses white sugar has.

Soy sauce: This will form the basis of our adobo. If you can, go for Filipino soy sauce like Datu Puti or Marca Piña.

Otherwise, I’d recommend either using Kimlan dark soy sauce (very similar to Filipino soy sauce) or using regular soy sauce and substituting about 1-2 tablespoons of it with Lee Kum Kee’s dark soy sauce.

Cane vinegar: The key ingredient for adobo, which gives the dish its signature tang. Traditional recipes use either cane vinegar or coconut vinegar.

Substitutions: Any standard white vinegar can work. In a pinch, apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar can also be good replacements.

Cooking Tips

Reduce the sauce to your desired consistency: The longer you reduce and boil your sauce, the thicker and more intense the flavor becomes. You can choose to keep your adobo saucy by reducing it just slightly.

Experiment with other ingredients: This recipe is just one of many ways to prepare adobo. While not exactly traditional, other variations include adding five spice, star anise, dried chilies, onion, or even coconut milk into the adobo.

Serve the next day: Adobo is always ten times better the next day since it allows the sauce to deeply penetrate the meat and concentrate its flavors further. What I usually do is cook my adobo the day before I plan to serve it.

I end up reducing the sauce to just about a half (not enough to be a thick glaze), and then I let it sleep in the fridge overnight. When time to serve, I put the pot back on the heat and finish reducing the sauce to my desired consistency.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can stay good for up to 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight resealable container. To reheat, simply microwave or heat over stovetop until fully warmed and the sauce is liquid in consistency.

Can I add anything else to the adobo?

Some common additions you can add to adobo include boiled eggs and potatoes. These are commonly done in Filipino households in order to feed more mouths, but they taste delicious as mix-ins too.

How do I serve adobo?

In its basic form, adobo is commonly eaten with a warm bowl of rice, accompanied with veggies (such as tomatoes and bokchoy) or a boiled egg. Apart from that, you can be a bit more creative and use this as filling for buns (e.g., siopao) or as a protein for fried rice.

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